Smoke on startup ?
#47
Rennlist Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: West Vancouver and San Francisco
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After about 1,500 miles on new engine, I stopped seeing smoke on startup. Maybe it's just a coincidence or that I started driving it daily. The car now uses no oil in daily driving but takes about 1/4 of a quart per track day.
#48
Former Vendor
Thread Starter
Old thread, but a common problem. I found the solution, at least for my car.
Short trips cause the smoking.
In my case, my commute to work is about 10 minutes. I'm 2/3 way there before the oil sees 180F. Not enough time at temp to burn off the normal fuel and water that accumulates in the oil.
I found my oil level actually rising due to accumulation. Up two segments. Drive the car hard and get it hot, oil level returns to normal.
Solution is to make longer trips regularly, or let the car warm up thoroughly before you go on a short drive - or at the end of the short drive.
I now do this and the smoking is gone.
This explains why some people see smoke, others do not.
Short trips cause the smoking.
In my case, my commute to work is about 10 minutes. I'm 2/3 way there before the oil sees 180F. Not enough time at temp to burn off the normal fuel and water that accumulates in the oil.
I found my oil level actually rising due to accumulation. Up two segments. Drive the car hard and get it hot, oil level returns to normal.
Solution is to make longer trips regularly, or let the car warm up thoroughly before you go on a short drive - or at the end of the short drive.
I now do this and the smoking is gone.
This explains why some people see smoke, others do not.
#49
Rennlist Member
I'm fortunate enough to report that my '16 GT3 with just under 2k miles doesn't smoke under any circumstance. My oil consumption over the 2k miles was approximately 600ml, and the car was gradually worked up to the full rev range by about 1000 miles.
Now, my 996 GT3 3.6 never smoked and never burned enough to have to top off during a 5k oil change interval (including track days!). The 996 GT3 4.0 engine I built smoked very lightly during the break-in miles, but nothing like my 997.2 GT3, which smoked heavily regardless of the circumstance. The later I bought as someone's DD lease return, so who knows if the entire rev range was even used before my ownership.
I have been under the impression that this issue is related to how the engine was broken in, but who knows.
Now, my 996 GT3 3.6 never smoked and never burned enough to have to top off during a 5k oil change interval (including track days!). The 996 GT3 4.0 engine I built smoked very lightly during the break-in miles, but nothing like my 997.2 GT3, which smoked heavily regardless of the circumstance. The later I bought as someone's DD lease return, so who knows if the entire rev range was even used before my ownership.
I have been under the impression that this issue is related to how the engine was broken in, but who knows.